Tahoe authorities: No leads on missing woman case

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STATELINE, Nev. — The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is offering a $1,000 reward for information about a teen who came to the area to attend SnowGlobe and who has reportedly been missing since New Year’s Eve.

Officials said they had no leads on the whereabouts of Petaluma resident Alyssa Byrne, 19, who was reported missing Jan. 1.

Tahoe Search and Rescue joined the search Thursday morning, according to sheriff’s deputy Greg Almos.

Teams started setting up a search area near Horizon Casino Resort, the place where she was last seen early New Year’s Day.

Byrne and three friends left Sonoma County about 9 a.m. Saturday to head to South Lake Tahoe, according to her father, Kevin Byrne.

She checked into Horizon Casino Resort Saturday. She texted her mom Saturday and both parents Sunday, he said.

“She was very good about checking in,” Kevin Byrne said.

“We sent her a text at midnight (on New Year’s Eve), but there was no response. We figured she was out having a good time.”

Byrne said they texted her New Year’s Day, but the friends she was with contacted her parents to tell them they couldn’t find her.

“The last time anyone claims to have seen her was a little after 12:30 a.m. New Year’s Day,” he said.

“She was in the bar area of Horizon Casino and saw someone she knew, said a brief hello, and they went in different directions.”

Alyssa Byrne was last seen wearing black yoga-type pants and black snow boots, and her hair was pulled back.

Byrne’s cell phone is either turned off or her battery is dead, and the friends she was with took her stuff with them — including her cell phone charger — when they checked out of the hotel after they couldn’t find her, so she has no way to communicate.

Her cell phone was last used in the city of South Lake Tahoe prior to midnight New Year’s Eve, according to a statement.

Friends and family have started a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Alyssa Byrnemissing and Twitter feed at #findalyssabyrne to aid the search parties.

Anyone who sees Alyssa Byrne or knows of her whereabouts is asked to call Kevin Byrne at (239) 823-0923, Douglas County Dispatch at (775) 782-5126, investigator Dennis Slater at (775) 586-7255 or Secret Witness at (775) 782-7463.

Douglas County Sheriff’s investigators are working on the case in conjunction with the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.

Trisha Leonard is the editor of the Tahoe Daily Tribune, sister publication to The Union. Tahoe Daily Tribune Reporter Axie Navas contributed to this report.